"You are cheating the public" - Stephen A. Smith says Jacob deGrom sitting out against the New York Yankees is what's wrong with baseball 

During the buildup to Monday’s Subway Series opener, the New York Yankees were written off by almost everyone. Their disastrous recent record justified such a verdict. The availability of the New York Mets’ double-edged Scherzer-deGrom sword made it even more obvious.

The Mets announced that Jacob deGrom wouldn't be starting Game 2 on Tuesday, as previously expected. Instead, Taijuan Walker got the nod while DeGrom rested for the upcoming four-match Colorado Rockies series.

One person who wasn’t pleased at all by Buck Showalter’s decision to drop DeGrom was MLB analyst Stephen A. Smith.

According to him, dropping one of their aces for a fixture as important as the Mets-Yankees series is bad for the sport of baseball.

“This is why the sport of baseball is in trouble. This is why in some people's eyes it stinks. This is what they have to do. The New York Yankees are the storied franchise in Major League Baseball. We wouldn't argue with that…What the hell is deGrom doing sitting down last night? Who in New York doesn't want to see Jacob deGrom going up against the New York Yankees?”

Smith believes that their fans have expectations, and resting stars like deGrom is not fair to the paying audience.

“It's about theater. And I'm not talking to the management of baseball. It's not your fault, Rob Manfred. I'm not talking about the executive director for the Players Association. It's not your fault. I'm talking to the players. You're cheating the public. I'm talking to the managers. You're cheating the public. Who did not want to see Jacob deGrom go up against the New York Yankees?”

The Mets have been plagued with injuries throughout the season. Max Scherzer was out for a couple of months due to an oblique strain, but made his much anticipated comeback on Monday.

DeGrom, on the other hand, has been out for over a year due to elbow issues and multiple setbacks during rehab. He returned earlier this month during a 5-1 loss to the Washington Nationals. Naturally, many attending fans had high hopes of seeing both him and Scherzer in action.

Smith went on to accuse managers and players of not caring about the paying public.

“That's the problem with baseball. What you want to do is what you want to do. You don't give a d**n about the public, the audience. You're seeing this as ‘our’ product. You want to be tone deaf to a younger generation that doesn't gravitate to you cuz you don't give them theater. That's the problem with baseball.”

Smith’s passion throughout the rant was visible, and he does have a point. With all due respect, the Rockies are placed last in the NL West. It’s not a fixture that demands deGrom’s presence, as much as facing the Yankees at Yankee Stadium does.

New York Yankees’ turnaround sparked by Aaron Judge’s continued pursuit of greatness

Aaron Judge inspired the New York Yankees to an incredible whitewash as they maintained an eight-game lead at the top of the AL East.

Judge hit a 453-foot drive for his MLB-leading 48th home run and added an RBI single during a seventh-inning rally.

The Mets, on the other hand, saw their National League East advantage shrink to two games. The second-placed Atlanta Braves are now breathing down their necks.